1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for protecting and providing slack storage to optical fibers having a splice portion therein.
2. Description of Related Art
In optical communication systems it is frequently necessary to join or xe2x80x9csplicexe2x80x9d the ends of two fiber optic cables to allow for the addition of branch lines, or for repairs and adjustments. Because fiber optic cable is small and fragile, these splices are typically held in protective enclosures, many varieties of which have been described in the prior art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,515,472, 5,590,234 and 5,835,657, for example, describe such devices. In designing such enclosures, a variety of issues which stem from the nature of fiber optic cable must be addressed. For example, in order to avoid signal degradation, fiber within the enclosure must be held in a manner which ensures that the minimum bend radius of the glass fiber is not exceeded. In addition, enclosures frequently must provide strain relief against cable stresses caused by external cable movement relative to the enclosure.
For multi-fiber cables, a plurality of fiber splices may be held in a single enclosure, and care must be taken to avoid entanglement of fibers. Enclosures housing a plurality of splices typically do not allow easy access to individual fiber splices within the enclosure. Finally, because splices require additional cable, it is common to keep an excess of fiber slack in a separate storage device adjacent to a splice to facilitate future repairs. The need to store fiber slack further complicates the problems of fiber entanglement and access to individual splices.
For the forgoing reasons, there is a continuing need for an apparatus which can hold both a splice and some fiber slack in a manner which protects them from entanglement with other splices and fibers. There is a further need for an apparatus which allows for easy access to selected splices and associated fiber slack to make repairs, etc., while all other splices and associated fiber slack remain protected within their own compartments.
Briefly described, the invention is directed to an apparatus for protecting and providing slack to optical fibers having a splice portion therein comprising a reel having both fiber slack storage means and fiber splice holder means, and a reel holder. The reel holder supports the reel such that it is freely rotatable about its center, thereby allowing for easy storage and retrieval of fiber slack from the reel while protecting the splice, and in a manner which avoids entanglement with other splices and fibers. The holder preferably has a mounting means so that the apparatus can be removably mounted in a modular rack, allowing for easy storage, and permitting easy access to individual splices and associated slack.
The invention may be more fully understood by reference to the following drawings.